Firstly, congratulations @Sxot on your fantastic progress with the straight razor - you have come a long way in a short time
Second, thanks for putting Parabens out there. I believe we should all be talking more about the composition of the various products we slather on our faces daily. I think there's a widely held attitude that once you've ditched pressure-pak shaving foam, everything's fine. But as you point out, there are a number of things that have been adopted by shaving product creators from the mainstream cosmetics industry.
Parabens are a good place to start : like most things in life, the argument isn't simple black and white. While there are growing doubts about the longer term impact of Parabens on our health, they are probably a necessary evil until somebody comes up with a better alternative. Parabens are actually employed as preservatives to prevent fungal and microbial growth in cosmetic products that frequently live in the hostile environment of the bathroom, with the associated elevated temperatures and high humidity. The products most at risk are creams, balms and emulsions with their thicker textures. It is quite possible that some of these fungal and/or microbial growths pose a more immediate risk to health than exposure to Parabens. The good news is that many agencies are currently researching replacements for Parabens, driven by consumer demand.
For those who would like a quick top-down on Parabens and their relationship to health, http://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-looks/beauty/parabens-what-are-they-and-are-they-really-that-bad/ will help inform you.
Thanks for the encouragement. It sounds like I was bragging, but I noted my inexperience with SR's in an attempt to say "I don't really know what I am doing so my time to shave is not indicative." Not, hey, look at me, one week in and going fast. I figured all you seasoned experts would be finishing up at the 15min mark or so. Am I wrong? Not that we should be rushing although I didn't muck around today. Today's was only two pass, I'd done 30 laps on the strop the last night so only did 20 today. I washed my face in the shower so skipped the normal pre-shave wash/massage so there is probably 5min there...
My dear wife does like to tell people I now take longer to get ready than she does. I am not entirely sure that is correct but yes, I can't start getting into the shower 10min before departure like I used to.
Parabens are one of those things where the scientific community cannot agree. The US Drug control mob did a review last year and stuck to their stance that current permitted maximums are fine but there are obviously those who do not agree. I found pier reviewed articles that have shown that Parabens increase cell damage under UVB so that is enough for me to keep it off my face. In the end, there are plenty of great products that do an equal job without Parabens so for me, I'll stay away from it. Each to their own though, just wanted to mention it's inclusion in Mrysol Emulsion.
